How I met your mother
by Ignorant Sparrow
Summary: Aang tells a story to his two kids. A story about how he met their mother. A story about love and friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**How I met your mother**

Two kids sat on a wooden bench right in front of their father, Twins in fact, a girl and a boy of twelve. The boy wore a scowl and the girl was simply bored.

"Are we being punished for something?" Asked the boy. "I swear I didn't touch your staff."

Aang laughed. "No Gyatso. I'm just goanna tell you a story." He said. "A story about how I met your mother."

The girl yawned as she lazily stroked the lemur's head on her lap. "Do we have to listen? A bending lesson would be more fun." She said looking up at her father.

"Trust me Zen it is the most interesting story I know." Aang said smiling at his daughter.

Gyatso and Zen shared a look. "OK dad. Fine. What's the story?" Zen asked leaning on her back.

Aang grinned. "You won't be bored." He said as his eyes gleamed with a boyish excitement.

"One hundred and twenty eight years ago, when I was twelve," Aang began as a faraway look rose in to his gray eyes. "I used to live here in the southern air temple with all the other air nomads of south. This place was full of monks, sky bisons and lemurs. We used to play air ball all the time. May be I'll teach you. You see it takes two players. We stand on the two ends on the pitch and-" Zen cleared her thought. "Daddy, the story?"

Aang smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. The story."

"So everything was great until that one day. That one day that changed my world forever."

"What happened?" Gyatso asked leaning slightly forward.

"The fire nation had started a world war and the monks decided to tell me that I am the avatar before I was sixteen."

The two kids blinked. "What's so wrong with that?" Zen wondered.

"I was just twelve. Same as you. It was a big burden to bear. With the war and advanced bending, Your friends abandoning you because you are the avatar. Gyatso my guardian," Aang said looking at young Gyatso, "Whom you were named after, was the only one who cared for me and believed that I needed to grow up as a normal child. But the head monks decided that his affection is making me weak and I was to be sent to eastern air temple to complete my training. They were about to take everything and everyone I loved, from me"

"They couldn't" Zen said stomping her foot on the floor. In her anger the wind around her started to get rough. Aang smiled. "That's what I thought Zen. I didn't want what they planned for me. So I ran away on Appa. That's the last time I saw Gyatso."

Aang stayed silent for a moment and sighed. "The night I ran away, I got caught in a storm. A nasty storm. I remember drowning in the ocean with Appa. I thought we were going to die. But then as it seems my avatar state was triggered automatically and I created a giant ice burg safeguarding me and my furry friend. We stayed there for the next hundred years."

"So we've heard." Gyatso said uninterested. "Mom told us."

"Come on guys! Give your dad some credit. Hundred years!" Aang chuckled. "One hundred years passed. World thought the Avatar had abandoned them. But one girl in southern water tribe had not lost hope. She was going fishing with her brother. Suddenly the water became rough and they lost control of their canoe. It got destroyed by ice burgs and the two kids ended up on a floating ice in the middle of the ocean."

"They were OK, weren't they?" Zen asked worriedly as a concern rose in to her gray eyes.

"Yes. But then the boy started blaming his sister for ruining the trip." Aang said nodding. Zen huffed. "Typical" She said eyeing Gyatso.

"The girl got furious. She started shouting at her brother saying that he does nothing but 'play soldier' and blames her for everything that goes wrong. She was a water bender you see. So in her anger she bended the water and ice surrounding her without intending to. The giant mountain was cracked as she swung her hands threateningly and it cracked in to two."

Gyatso smirked. "Typical girly rage" He said making a face at his sister. Zen got to her feet and gritted her teeth. "I'll show you rage-"

"OK. Alright." Aang said little loudly. "So as a result the ice burg in which I and Appa were concealed emerged to the surface of the ocean. The girl was the first one to notice that I was in there. My eyes were gleaming you see. Avatar stuff. Ignoring her brother's opposition the girl took his blade and ran towards the ice burg. She hit the ice with full force and it cracked. After a hundred years I stepped out of eyes and then collapsed down."

Both the kids took sharp intakes of breath. "But you were OK, weren't you?"

Aang continued ignoring their question. "I remember her catching me before I hit the ice. My eyes were closed and I felt dizzy. Then I slowly opened them. The most beautiful girl I had seen o far was holding me and looking down at me. I told her to come closer. I had to ask her something."

"What was it?" Asked the kids in unison. Their eyes were full of curiosity.

Aang smiled. "I asked her… I asked her if she'd go penguin sliding with me." He finished jovially.

"WHAT?" Both Zen and Gyatso barked. "Dad you were an unbelievable goof ball."

"Yes. I still am. That's why your mom married me." Aang said grinning ear to ear.

"So that's how you met her?" Gyatso asked. "But wait, Mom isn't a water bender."

"Nope. That's how I met your aunt Katara." Aang said happily. "and your uncle Sokka."


	2. Chapter 2

"Typical Aunt Katara and Uncle Sokka" Zen laughed, fondly remembering the two adults who were constantly at each other's throats whenever they had an argument.

"Aunt Katara?" Gyatso asked frowning. "But we thought it's about how you met mom."

"Patients Gyatso!" Aang said smiling. "I'm getting there."

He shifted in to a more comfortable position on the stone table and took a long relaxing breath. "So they took me to their village in south pole. Actually I gave them a ride on Appa. Aunt Katara and I became friends immediately but your uncle Sokka didn't like me at all. He thought I was a spy for the fire nation."

"He's kind of paranoid, isn't he?" Zen asked shrugging.

"Yes! Anyway they did not know that I'm the Avatar and I didn't tell them. All members of the tribe were super excited to see an air bender. They hadn't seen one for hundred years. I spent some time in the southern water tribe having fun with your Aunt Katara. We were sliding penguins and accidently found a Fire nation war ship. I wanted to go in but Katara hesitated. She said that the ship could be boobitrapped. But I dragged her in saying that if she wants to be a bender she needs to let go of fear. She was right you see. We boobied right in to a trap. The ship sent a flare to the sky signaling its location."

Aang waited for some response from the twins. A gasp, look of concern, an 'oh no!' … anything. But Zen simply yawned while Gyatso stared with bored eyes. So he continued with the story.

"Sokka was furious and he and the rest of the tribe banished me saying that I signaled the fire nation. Katara stood up for me. She wanted to go with me. But I didn't want her to choose me over her tribe. I had to leave. I didn't want to say good bye to Katara yet, but I had to. It was the days of war. So a fire navy ship had seen the flare and followed its lead. On my way I saw the ship and I knew the village was in danger. I didn't want to leave them to the fire nation. I wanted to help. So I rushed back to the village. A young man was standing in front of the villagers, questioning them. He wanted the Avatar. Sokka was lying on his bottom, beaten up. That young man was Fire Lord Zuko."

Both the kids jumped. "You mean uncle Zuko?"

"Yes. That's how I met him. You know his story, right?" Aang asked smiling.

"Yeah yeah. Mom told us" Zen replied. "_I must capture the avatar and my father will restore my honor – banishing is the best thing you ever did to me. It taught me everything – I want to join your group and teach the Avatar fire bending_" Gyatso recited in a mocking voice.

"I wanted to fight him but the villagers were terrified of fire. So I offered to go with him and told him to leave the village alone."

Both Zen and Gyatso for once looked impressed. "Wow dad! That's noble of you!" Zen said.

Aang grinned. "When you are the Avatar, you have to be selfless." He said sending a breeze towards Zen which gently ruffled her hair. No matter how tough Zen acted, she loved to be pampered by Aang. She bended herself on to Aang's lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Gyatso made a face. "Then what happened? Did he take you to the Fire nation?" He asked Aang.

"He intended to but could not. I escaped with the help of Sokka and Katara." Aang said stroking Zen's hair.

"They came back for you!" Gyatso asked with increased respect towards uncle Sokka and Aunt Katara.

"That's what friends do son. They watch each others back." Aang said bending air to take Gyatso to his side and placing an arm around his shoulder. "Then we started travelling to the North Pole to find a water bending teacher for me and Katara. Our first stop was southern Air temple."

"You can skip that part. Aunt Katara once told us how you found out about the other Air nomads." Zen said.

"OK then! Next we stopped at Kyoshi Islands where your aunt Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi worriors ambushed and dragged us to their village." Aang said remembering the incident.

"Go aunt Suki!" Gyatso punched the air as Zen giggled.

"The Kyoshi folks weren't exactly friendly at first but when they found out that I am the Avatar, things started to change." Aang went on. "They started celebrating the return of the Avatar. I was pretty popular among the Kyoshi girls. Your aunt Katara thought I was letting the popularity go in to my head."

"Were you?" Gyatso asked with a grin.

"Of course I wasn't!" Aang said rubbing the back of his neck. Zen coughed. "OK! May be a little. Wherever I went, the Kyoshi girls followed me. I kept entertaining them with my air bending skills. Among them there was a special little girl. She used to call me 'Aangy'"

Both Zen and Gyatso bustled out laughing. Aang's lips quivered as he tried to fight back a smile.

"Come on everyone!" Zen and Gyatso's mom called from inside. "Breakfast is ready."

"Coming Mom!" Gyatso yelled back. They all stood up. "So is that how you met her?" Zen asked walking besides Aang.

Aang shook his head. "Nah! That was some girl named Koko."


End file.
